Sunshine
by HyperGinger
Summary: Loosely based on this prompt from the Awful AUs tumblr: "We found out we've both been taking care of the same stray dog when he jumped out of my car window and affectionately knocked you off your bike as I was trying to take him to the vet" AU. Volkner finds a stray Buneary and takes care of it, but is he the only one? Ignitionshipping.
1. Chapter 1

Author's notes: For non-Americans: Six inches ~ fifteen centimeters.  
For those who don't know: Chople berries halve the damage dealt by super effective Fighting-type moves. Bunearys in the games are known to carry these at times.  
Tesla is named after Nikola Tesla, a famous electrical scientist. Way ahead of his time, total genius, fascinating guy. Warning! There's a bit of sadness and gore in this fic. It's mostly cute, but there are some potentially upsetting scenes. I didn't get overly graphic, but I know it bothers some people, so I figured I should warn you guys.

* * *

Volkner usually took the same route back home from class every day: straight down sunny Burmy Boulevard after taking a right from Shellos Street. On that afternoon, however, fate had other plans.

According to the construction workers who'd blocked off the road, Shellos Street was flooded from a water main break. He understood why that would stop cars, but it must have been pretty severe to block even pedestrians.

Nevertheless, Volkner didn't want to cause any trouble for the workers, and too much moisture didn't mix well with his Pokémon anyway, so he shrugged, backtracked, and took an earlier turn down Lairon Lane instead, figuring he could get back on track by hanging a left on Cresselia Court later. Lairon Lane was smaller and more out-of-the-way and had a few sketchy alleys, but it wasn't too unsafe.

He passed the time by kicking the leaves on the sidewalk and chatting openly with the Raichu poking out of his backpack. A few people gave him some weird looks as he passed, but he was used to it; he'd always been good at understanding Pokémon, and he wasn't ashamed of his talents. He was enjoying the colorful fall foliage above his head and considering his Raichu's rather poignant remark about quantum mechanics and infinite universes when he caught a faint pink sparkle out of the corner of his eye.

"Hold that thought, Tesla," Volkner cut off gently. He looked to his left and saw a weak, rosy glimmer in the depths of a scummy-looking back alley. Against his better judgment, he crept cautiously into the narrow alley, driven by curiosity. The color did nothing to dampen his trepidation; he'd never forget the time he faced off against a cheery girl from Johto University in his school's last tournament. The hell he underwent at the hands—or hooves, in this case—of her demonic Miltank had ensured he'd never again underestimate the power of a pink Pokémon.

Even though the alley wasn't too far from the main street, its atmosphere was entirely different. The crisp autumn breeze was blocked, making way for stagnant, slightly warm, damp air. The cloying scent of garbage made Volkner's nose wrinkle. His skin crawled when the sounds of scratching invaded his eardrums, most likely due to a few hidden Rattatas.

The pink glow shone from behind an old, dented garbage can, and Volkner could hear soft, scratchy whimpering coming from it. He crept lower to the ground and peeked behind it, and his eyes widened with shock and concern at the sight.

Huddled in the remnants of a shallow, soggy, water-logged cardboard box lied a tiny, scruffy Buneary, no more than six inches tall. It was shiny, but even its fur's pink luster had trouble shining through the grayish-green grime matted onto its body. The Buneary was in sad shape. It shivered and whimpered weakly as it twitched from the effects of some static electricity, its head just barely lifting to look up at Volkner as it lied on its side, apparently lacking the energy to sit up. Its eyes were dull from fatigue and malnourishment. Volkner gasped softly when he saw that its left ear was missing a sizeable chunk; part of the tip appeared to have been ripped off, and most of the fluff on the top was missing.

It was still breathing, but its breaths were hitched and labored, and painful-looking scratches littered its body. Its behavior was what worried Volkner the most; Bunearys were naturally skittish Pokémon, and if this one had had any strength at all, it would have bolted immediately from having a human this close. Instead, it just flinched feebly and gave a meager hiss at his proximity.

Volkner could feel his eyes well up with anger upon seeing the obvious pain the Buneary was in, but he blinked back the tears of frustration that threatened to fall. There was a Pokémon to attend to. He snapped to action in an instant, whipping his backpack around so swiftly that Raichu squeaked indignantly and leaped out of it. "Sorry, girl, but this is an emergency," Volkner apologized as he rooted through his bag hurriedly, yanking out a Cheri Berry (he thanked Arceus that all the training he did with Electric-types prompted him to carry them with him) and as many potions as he could find. He fumbled with the medicine and sat down to hold out the berry in front of the Buneary's mouth. "Here. This should help," he murmured soothingly.

The Buneary sniffed at the berry in suspicion and growled pitifully. "You don't trust me, huh?" Volkner muttered. He was afraid that would happen. Instead, he handed the berry to his Raichu, who plodded forward and plopped down on the ground in front of the roughed-up rabbit in Volkner's place. She squeaked in encouragement.

The Buneary's hard expression softened at its fellow Pokémon, and it reluctantly took a tiny nibble of the berry and chewed hesitantly. Almost instantaneously, its muscles loosened a little, and it eagerly ate from the Raichu's paws until the static dissipated from its body and it let out a sigh of relief.

Volkner shuffled forward to sit cross-legged on the ground next to his Pokémon. "I'm here to help you, Buneary. You're in pretty bad shape. I don't like seeing a Pokémon in pain, and I want to help you get better. Will you let me help you out?" he asked slowly, gradually extending a hand to the pink bunny. It stared at the hand cautiously for a long time, its eyes narrowed in suspicion. Finally, it allowed a quiet whine to escape and nodded sluggishly.

A small smile spread across Volkner's features as he reached for a potion. "Thank you. This'll sting a little bit at first, but we'll have you fixed up in no time, little guy."

At the first spray, the Buneary winced, but then he looked up at Volkner with a quizzical whimper.

Volkner chuckled comfortingly. "Yes, I can tell you're a boy. I bet you get that mistake a lot, huh? Especially with being shiny." The Buneary looked down sadly, and his silence spoke volumes to Volkner. He watched the scrapes disappear before his eyes as he sprayed another potion. "You know, people always say Bunearys don't have gender differences, but they're wrong. It's all in the eyebrows," Volkner said knowingly. He stifled a laugh as the little one sat up and went cross-eyed in an attempt to see his own eyebrows.

Volkner finished up his work and put his spare potions back into his bag. "Well, that takes care of the injuries," he said, purposely not mentioning the ear. He didn't want to pour salt into the wound, especially with how much Bunearys valued their ears. "Now, what do you say I bring you back to my place and give you a bath to clean you up?"

Even before Volkner finished, the tiny rabbit was shaking his head vigorously and creeping away from him distrustfully. Volkner's face fell, but he didn't move from his spot on the cold ground. "I promise I won't hurt you. I just want to help. It's not healthy to have that much muck in your fur; you could get sick. It's just a bath," he advised desperately.

Unfortunately, the Buneary's trust seemed to have run out. Thanks to the Cheri berry and potions, he'd regained his energy and sprang swiftly further into the alley, shooting away from both Volkner and his Pokémon. Tesla leaped to her feet to try and run after him, but Volkner lowered a hand gently onto her back to stop her.

"Let him go, Tesla. We can't take him home against his will if he doesn't want to be helped," Volkner explained softly. The Raichu tilted her head and squeaked sadly.

"Well, you and I both know I mean no harm, but some Pokémon just can't trust humans, and I can't say I blame them. Humans do some pretty horrible things sometimes. We'll just have to let this one go, Tesla." The Electric-type deflated with worry and disappointment, and Volkner helped her back into his bag to take her home. He dusted off his jeans and stood up, striking up their previous conversation to take their minds off the depressing situation.

"Now, what was that you were saying about Schrödinger's Skitty?"

* * *

Volkner was sitting at his desk in his room later that night, staring down at his differential equations homework. He'd read the same problem over three times, but he still couldn't keep his brain on target. Every time he tried to riddle out a solution, worry wormed its way back into his mind and his thoughts shot to the stray Buneary. The poor thing had clearly been abandoned, and Volkner just couldn't understand how someone could do that to a helpless baby Pokémon. Tesla, who usually helped (she couldn't read words, but she was good with numbers and liked double-checking his math for him) seemed similarly distracted as she slouched on his desk. Volkner felt the blunted tip of her tail nudge gently underneath his left eye to catch an almost-shed tear of frustration. He looked up in surprise and was met with understanding, sympathetic brown eyes.

Volkner smiled weakly at the tender gesture. "You're worried about him, too, huh?" She nodded sadly. "Tell you what. We'll go check out that alley tomorrow and see if our buddy's still there, okay? Maybe we'll do a little better this time."

She smiled in relief and nodded, giggling when Volkner poked her tummy with the eraser on his pencil. "Good. Now maybe we can get some work done," he said determinedly. She pumped a paw in the air and squeaked in agreement.

* * *

Shellos Street was still closed for repairs, but that didn't matter to Volkner; he was headed for Lairon Lane anyway. Unlike the previous day, he didn't adopt a leisurely stroll, instead walking briskly with a purpose. He ignored the strange looks he got from the passersby when he turned down into the ratty alley.

Once he was back in the stuffy area, he slowed his pace, stepping cautiously so as not to scare any Pokémon lying in wait. He didn't get far before a low growl and some scratching sounds made themselves heard. Volkner squeezed past the garbage can he'd seen the day before and made his way farther into the alley, and he gasped at what he saw.

The same shiny Buneary from the day before was huddled against a wall, clutching a small item in his paws. He shook with fear and wore a petrified expression, and it was no wonder why; he was being growled at by a snarling, mangy Raticate about five times his size. The size difference was only accentuated when the Buneary wilted against the wall. The giant Raticate took the opportunity to leap forward and startle the rabbit Pokémon by snapping its huge fangs and shoving him, making him drop his find. The rat swiftly snatched up the item and turned to dash off.

Volkner wasn't going to allow that. "Tesla, use Knock Off!" he commanded. The Raichu leapt out of Volkner's bag over his head and sprinted toward the rodent. She snapped her long tail over her head and slammed it hard down on the Raticate's skull ruthlessly, causing it to screech in pain, drop the item, and crumple to the ground briefly. Volkner ran onto the scene after his Pokémon. Seeing the human approach, the Raticate shook itself and recovered before fleeing back into the dark corners of the alley in panic.

Volkner glared after the thief for only a moment before his expression softened, and he smiled disarmingly down at the timid rabbit. He bent down to pick up the item—a Chople berry—off the ground, and he hunched and sat down in the center of the alley, a good five feet away from the Buneary to give him plenty of space. "This is a useful item to have. Good choice, little guy," Volkner complimented. He held the berry out in front of him, offering it to its rightful owner.

The Buneary's breathing slowly calmed down from the excitement, and he tilted his head at Volkner in confused recognition. Tesla plopped down next to her trainer and squeaked encouragingly with a cute smile. Once again, her reinforcement gave the Buneary courage, and he hopped forward hesitantly, keeping careful eye contact with Volkner as he plucked the berry from his hands and hopped back a bit.

Volkner retracted his hand afterward and kept the comfortable distance. "That berry could really come in handy, so try to keep a good grip on it. You don't strike me as being the Klutzy type, am I right?"

The Buneary actually smiled at this and looked back down at his item shyly. That was when Volkner noticed something interesting and raised his eyebrows.

"Hey, Buneary, you're all clean!" he pointed out happily, gesturing to the clean, shiny, fluffy coat. "You were all dirty yesterday, and you didn't want a bath, so how'd you do it?"

The Buneary didn't answer, choosing instead to avert his gaze and shuffle his feet bashfully. Volkner decided to change the subject, sensing he probably wouldn't get a straight answer from the Pokémon. "Judging from your scrapes yesterday and the little incident just now, you seem like you have a bit of trouble with some of the other...residents around here. Am I right?" The Buneary's sad, embarrassed scowl told Volkner all he needed to know, and he continued. "You're just a little guy—" The Buneary glared at this, so Volkner amended himself, "—FOR NOW, so how'd you like to learn a new move to help defend yourself? You Buneary tend to be pretty versatile, you know," Volkner told him, smiling supportingly.

The Pokémon cocked a pink eyebrow in curiosity. Taking this as a good sign, Volkner beckoned his Raichu forward. "This is Tesla. She's a good friend of mine. You met her yesterday, remember?" The Buneary looked up at her and nodded. "Well, you just saw her in action, right? Great job, by the way," Volkner praised, scratching underneath her chin in thanks. She preened at the treatment, and her tail curled in contentment. "Well, what if I told you that you can be just as strong as she is someday?"

At this, the wild Pokémon's eyes sparkled with wonder. Volkner hid a chuckle behind his hand. "Do you know the move Thunder Punch?" The Buneary shook his head. "Well, we'd better teach you, then!" Volkner turned to his Pokémon. "Why don't you show him how it's done, Tesla?"

The Raichu huffed excitedly and approached a nearby empty trash can. Electricity crackled in her fist, and she grinned, wound up, and smashed the can with a powerful punch. It careened off and hit a wall, collapsing with a clatter. The garbage can sparked with electricity for a few seconds and then sizzled, lying on its side and sporting a new dent. Tesla put her paws on her hips and squeaked proudly at her work.

Volkner's grin turned smug when he saw the look on the Buneary's star-struck face. "How'd that look? Wanna learn how to do that?" The dazzled rabbit looked from the proud Raichu to Volkner and nodded eagerly with wide eyes. "Great. We'll work on the motion first, okay?"

Volkner and Tesla worked together to make sure the little Buneary had his form right, teaching him to step into the punches and twist his paw at the end for maximum damage. The Buneary was hesitant at first, but he was soon punching the air with confidence.

"You're doing great," Volkner encouraged. "To make it a Thunder Punch, though, you're going to need some electricity. Do you think you can conjure up any sparks? This is the hardest part."

The Buneary frowned, clearly not sure how to proceed. He clenched his paws and squeezed his eyes shut for a moment and tried to focus, but nothing happened. He opened his eyes sadly and huffed in disappointment.

Volkner gave him a sympathetic smile. "That's okay, Buneary. It's hard to do if you're not used to holding electricity." He turned to his Raichu. "Tesla, do you think you can help out a bit?" She nodded happily and carefully lowered her tail in front of the Buneary. "Alright, Buneary, she's just going to give you a little spark to get you started. It'll tingle at first, but you'll get used to it."

The Buneary hesitated nervously for a moment before tentatively reaching out a paw. In response, Tesla channeled a few sparks down her tail so they could run into his body. She pulled away before he could get overwhelmed.

For his part, the Buneary jumped at first. Volkner bit his lip to resist laughing; the electricity had set his fur on end and made him look extra poofy. He twitched a little from the electrical energy, but seemed to adjust to it pretty quickly.

"Good! Great job," Volkner praised him. "Now try controlling the sparks and moving them to different parts of your body." The Buneary looked doubtful, so Volkner smiled at him encouragingly. "Don't worry, you Normal-types are great at working with all sorts of elements. I know you'll do just fine."

With the reassurance, the Buneary regained his confidence and did as Volkner instructed. With a little effort and time, he was soon shifting the sparks around at will, and Volkner and Tesla clapped supportively. He quickly learned to focus the electricity in his paws, and Tesla helped him practice by letting him punch her paws.

The now-determined little Pokémon leaped over to another empty garbage can, wound up, and struck it with a shocking punch just as Tesla had done earlier. It didn't fly forcefully into the wall as hers had, but the rabbit did manage to knock it over in a shower of sparks, even though it was about four times his height and made of tough metal. He stared at the damage in shock, his paw still bunched in a tiny fist. He was startled back to attention to a pair of cheers. He smiled bashfully and scratched the back of his head with a paw. It could have been Volkner's imagination, but it almost looked like the Pokémon was blushing lightly.

"Awesome job! You're a natural!" Volkner enthused, beaming with pride. "That was an amazing Thunder Punch. I'm so proud of you!" He held out a hand, and the Buneary hopped forward, giving his fingers an affectionate nuzzle. Elated at the gesture, Volkner gently pet the creature's small head. Tesla joined in, scratching him behind a fluffy ear with her tail. The Buneary whimpered and thumped his foot happily at the treatment, and it dawned on Volkner that the little one had probably never been pet this way before. He ignored the painful pang of sorrow in his heart. "I hope we've been able to help you out; I'd feel terrible if you had no way of defending yourself back here, and I'm willing to bet you still don't trust me enough to come back with me, huh?"

The Buneary stopped moving suddenly and opened his eyes. He looked up at the question and shook his head sadly, taking a step back in apprehension. Volkner retracted his hand regrettably, nodding at Tesla to back off as well. "That's fine. If you're more comfortable here, I could never force you to leave. Do you think we could visit you tomorrow, though? We'd love to see you again," Volkner offered.

Feeling less threatened, the Buneary nodded and gave Volkner a small smile. Volkner returned the grin. "Thank you...hm. I need to know what to call you. I could just keep calling you 'Buneary,' but would you prefer a nickname instead? I think you deserve a special name," Volkner said with a roguish wink.

The Buneary's eyes went wide, and he nodded slightly before trying to hide his face behind the pink fur on his belly. Volkner cocked an eyebrow in curiosity at the behavior, but he pressed on nonetheless. "Well...now that we've seen you smile, it's clear you actually have a very sunny disposition, so..." He exchanged a nod with Tesla. "...how about I call you 'Sunny?' How does that sound?"

The Buneary came out of hiding, tilted his head, and then gave a satisfied nod and a grin. It was getting late, so Volkner and Tesla bid goodbye to Sunny and left the alley with promises to return the next day.

* * *

Volkner and Tesla visited Sunny every day for the two weeks or so, even on the weekend. Each time, the Buneary had gotten stronger. They worked on powering up his Thunder Punches, and Volkner fed him Oran and Sitrus Berries. He was incredibly surprised (and overjoyed) to find out the Pokémon had somehow learned Fire Punch, too. Volkner had always felt fire and electricity complimented each other very well. He regaled Sunny with stories about battles he'd had with his Pokémon; these were Sunny's favorites. His eyes glowed with admiration at every tale. Soon, the little rabbit was glowing with health and happiness, and he'd grown about three inches taller. He was always clean, too, though Volkner was never sure why; he'd avoided asking the Buneary to come home with him again. If Sunny ever wanted to be adopted, Volkner hoped he'd take that step on his own.

As their bond grew, Sunny grew more comfortable with him, and Volkner happily showered him with affection by petting him and scratching his ears gently—taking care to avoid lingering on the mangled spot on the left one (it looked better now, but Volkner knew it would never be entirely normal). Every time he pet Sunny, the Pokémon's behavior became more perplexing; he tried to hide his face, shuffled timidly, and smiled in a goofy way. His face turned red sometimes, too. It confused Volkner, so he expressed his concerns on the topic on the way home one night.

"Tesla, Sunny's been acting weird lately, don't you think?" he said over his shoulder. "He seems happy, but he acts kind of funny when I pet him these days. Do you know what the deal is?"

The Raichu merely giggled and responded with a series of laughing squeaks.

Volkner balked. "You'll 'tell me when I'm older?' What's that supposed to mean?!"

He was only met with more knowing chuckles.

* * *

It was a Thursday afternoon when everything changed. Volkner had forgotten his backpack at school, so Tesla walked beside him instead that day. Volkner took his now usual turn down Lairon Lane and strode toward the alley with a spring in his step.

"Sunny, it's Volkner! Tesla and I are here to see you again! Where are you?"

Volkner knew something wasn't right when they were met with silence. Before that day, Sunny had adopted the habit of jumping out of the back and hopping joyfully over to him whenever he visited. He tried calling out again to no avail, and he shared apprehensive gazes with Tesla as he nervously stepped farther in, afraid of what he might find. He hadn't gotten too far into the din when he saw the problem.

"Shit."

It was horrible, even worse than the first day.

Sunny was slumped against a grimy wall. His pink fur was dingier than Volkner had ever seen it, and his face was pale and tearstained as he struggled to take in feeble, shuddering breaths. Deep, bloody scrapes and nasty bruises marred the Pokémon's body. Sunny's limbs twitched weakly, and his eyelids just barely fluttered open when he heard Volkner. A pitiful whimper of recognition left him when he saw his friend, but his eyes quickly fell closed again as he shivered in pain. Volkner gasped in horror when he noticed Sunny was lying prone in a puddle of what appeared to be his own blood. He hadn't known it was possible for such a small creature to lose that much blood.

Immediately, Volkner reached around to his back—and his blood ran cold.

"Fuck...I don't have my backpack! I don't have any medicine with me! Oh, Arceus..." Volkner's hands shook. He knew what he had to do. He whipped off his jacket and bent down to the injured Pokémon.

"Sunny...I know you don't want to leave this alley, but I don't have any potions with me," he begged frantically. He held up a hand to the Buneary's forehead and paled at how warm it was. His stomach turned. "Shit...you're poisoned, too...what happened?" Sunny whined quietly and sniffled. "...A whole gang of Palpitoad? No wonder neither of your punches worked...well, I have to take you to a Pokémon Center. I can't help you otherwise."

Sunny's face showed brief apprehension, but his eyes then closed in resignation. Knowing that was about as much consent as he was going to get in this situation, Volkner nodded and held out his jacket. "Tesla, can you help me out?"

With his Raichu's help, Volkner shifted Sunny's alarmingly limp body into his coat, gently wrapping it around him like a blanket for protection. He and Tesla bolted out of the alley with their precious cargo and dashed into the main street toward the closest Center they knew of.


	2. Chapter 2

The shocked stares of the other pedestrians, the pounding of his heart and lungs, the hot tears streaming down his face, his likely ruined jacket—Volkner knew none of these. The only things he noticed were the weak heartbeat and labored breathing from the bundle in his arms. Only one thing brought him back to the outside world.

"Hey, watch where—holy shit! What are you doing?!"

Volkner hurried past the person he'd accidentally shoved. He didn't have time to apologize.

The other person clearly had time for him, though, because Volkner soon found himself being pursued.

"What's going on? Hey! I'M TALKING TO YOU!"

Even when a hand grabbed his shoulder to try and stop him, Volkner shrugged it off and kept running full-tilt. However, he did take notice of a man matching his pace, especially when Sunny shifted restlessly in his arms, whined in realization, and reached his paws weakly toward the man.

Volkner looked up in confusion to get a look at the man sprinting next to him. He only registered a red afro and a shocked face with flashing gray eyes before the man snapped at him.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH HIM? WHAT HAPPENED?!"

Volkner glared with rage. "What the hell do you THINK I'm doing?! This Buneary is critically injured! I'm taking him to a Pokémon Center, and you are NOT going to stop me!" he shouted through his exhausted panting.

The redhead shook his head in shock, apparently just now noticing the angry, desperate tears flowing down Volkner's face. His expression changed to a determined scowl as he stubbornly kept up. "Then I'm going with you. I've been taking care of that Buneary for a couple of weeks now, and I want to help!"

Volkner kept the pace, but his jaw dropped. "You, too?!" He looked down at the bundle in his arms, and Sunny gave a small, tearful smile in confirmation. "Well, you can come if you want, but I'm not slowing down for you!"

"You won't have to!"

* * *

The two men burst through the doors of the Pokémon Center just two minutes later, their panic and determination spurring them on at an impressive clip. Even Tesla had been hard-pressed to keep up. The trainers in the Center just barely leapt out of their way. The Nurse Joy, who looked like she hadn't slept in two days, looked up from her machine in surprise and confusion. "What can—"

"THIS BUNEARY NEEDS HELP!" they shouted in unison. The nurse jumped, and her eyes bugged out when she saw the sad state of the Pokémon huddled in Volkner's arms. The poison had only worsened on the way over, and Sunny looked more pallid than ever.

She glared furiously at the panting pair, keeping eye contact with them as she commanded the Pokémon by her side. "Chansey, come here. Bring a stretcher." She gingerly took the jacket-clad Buneary from Volkner's arms. "Bring her to the Audino Unit—"

"HE," Volkner and the red-haired man corrected automatically in tandem. They exchanged surprised glances with each other.

Nurse Joy's expression soured further, and she pursed her lips. "Fine. HE. Take HIM to the Audino Unit. HE needs serious aid right now. Bring out the Megas if you have to. For HIM," she sneered, not once looking away from the two young men. The Chansey, though clearly spooked by her animosity, fulfilled the request, carting the Buneary into the back as she requested.

Once that was taken care of, Joy rounded on the pair. "HOW COULD YOU?!" she screamed. "HOW COULD YOU EVER LET A POKÉMON GET INTO THAT CONDITION?! I SHOULD HAVE YOUR LICENSES TAKEN AWAY THIS INSTANT!"

The redhead was holding his hands up defensively and was about to stutter out an apology, but Volkner interrupted. "He's not our Pokémon! I just found him in an alley. He was like that when I got there, and I don't have my bag, so I couldn't heal him. I had no choice," he defended desperately. The redhead nodded in confirmation, and Tesla squeaked in agreement by his feet.

Joy didn't seem all that impressed with the humans' arguments, but her gaze softened and turned weary when the Raichu backed them up. She sighed and held a delicate hand to her forehead.

"...Okay. Alright. I'm sorry, it's just been one thing after another lately," she admitted tiredly. "So...who's the owner...?" she began hesitantly. "Is there...?" she trailed off, unable to find a way to phrase the question.

Volkner and the other man looked at each other in bemusement. "Uh...neither?" Volkner confessed. He chose to leave out that they'd both been taking care of Sunny, sensing she might flip out again if she found out they'd allowed such a young Buneary to continue living alone in an alley. Now that he thought about, that probably hadn't been the best approach to begin with.

Nurse Joy's gaze flicked lazily between the two, but neither seemed to feel comfortable claiming ownership. "Okay. Fine. What are your names, then? I have to type SOMETHING into the system."

"I'm Volkner."

"And I'm Flint."

The nurse's fingers clacked away at the keyboard. "Does the Pokémon have a nickname?"

"Sunny."

"Shiny."

Volkner looked at Flint, perplexed. "'Shiny?' Really?"

Flint pouted and toyed with the hem of his yellow shirt. "I'm not good at nicknames, okay?"

Joy looked up with a bored expression that clearly showed that she hadn't had enough coffee to deal with this. "...Okay then, we're just gonna go with 'Sunshine.'" She rolled her eyes and started typing again. "What a name...a male, pink, shiny rabbit, too...you know, I bet if it were possible for a Pokémon to be gay, that one would be." Flint snorted softly at this, and Volkner facepalmed. Tesla gave a mischievous, squeaky giggle, and Volkner once again felt as if she knew something he didn't.

"I'll go check on your little friend and let you know about his condition, okay? This could take a little while." Volkner and Flint nodded at the weary nurse and then stood uncomfortably at the front desk for a moment after she walked away.

Flint shuffled his feet. "So...wanna sit down?" he offered with an awkward grin.

Volkner shrugged. "Sure. Not like there's much else to do."

They flumped down on a red, cushioned bench against a wall and sighed simultaneously, smiling tiredly but politely at each other to mask their worry. Tesla tugged on Volkner's pant leg and squeaked.

"What's that?" She squeaked again. "Yeah, of course. Hey—Flint, right?" The other man nodded. "She's gonna pick up some water from the vending machine down the hall. You want some?"

Flint's eyebrows rose, and he turned to the Raichu. "You can do that?" She squeaked and nodded. "You're really smart. None of my Pokémon can figure those things out, that's for sure," he complimented with a smile, leaning down to scratch under her chin.

She cocked her head curiously at Flint, and then she lifted her tail to scratch at his head lightly. He raised an eyebrow in confusion. Volkner laughed.

"Huh. Tesla already likes you. She normally takes a while to warm up to strangers, so that's a good sign," Volkner said, a little surprised. "My Pokémon's approval means a lot to me."

Flint chuckled and scratched the back of his head. "Flattery will get you everywhere," he joked. "I'm really glad to hear that—Tesla, right?" She squeaked in confirmation and nodded before wandering off in search of water.

"So...you've been taking care of Sunny...err, Sunshine...as well, then?" Volkner questioned.

Flint nodded. "Every morning before class for the past two weeks or so, I've been stopping by to feed him berries and clean him off. He gets pretty grimy if I don't."

Volkner's eyes widened. "You clean him? How? I offered to give him a bath once, and he flipped out and ran off."

"You offered him a _bath,_ specifically?" Volkner nodded. Flint clicked his tongue. "That's why, then. Bunearys don't bathe in water; it messes up their fur and can get them sick. They bathe by grooming themselves just like cat Pokémon do," he explained. "Their mothers usually take care of it until they're grown enough to learn to do it themselves, so I clean him with a handkerchief. Speaking of which..."

Volkner watched with interest as Flint pulled a white cloth—a clean one, thankfully—from his pocket and handed it to him. "You were crying a fair amount back there," he said sympathetically. "You seem pretty attached to that little guy."

"Thanks," Volkner said, smiling in gratitude as he wiped the last remains of tears from his cheeks and returned the handkerchief. "So that's why he ran away...god, I should have guessed that. How'd you know?"

Flint pocketed the handkerchief. "I grew up with my grandfather, and he ran a whole ranch of Buneary and Lopunny," he explained. "I know pretty much all there is to know about them."

Volkner's eyebrows rose. "That's really cool! So I bet you know about Buneary's gender difference, then? People say there isn't one, but..."

"...It's all in the eyebrows," Flint agreed with a nod. "It really surprises me that no one notices, even the nurses," he muttered, crossing his arms. "It's scary how little people care about Pokémon in general. Even that Joy's Chansey was scared of her."

Volkner nodded emphatically. "Yeah! I still can't believe someone would abandon a Pokémon like that, especially a newborn like that Buneary. He's even shiny! People are usually all over shinies. What's the deal?"

Flint shook his head. "It's gotta be the ear. That's the only explanation."

Volkner's eyes widened. "The ear?"

"Surely you've noticed...the left one? It's..."

"Yeah, I know," Volkner responded. "But I thought it was from an injury, like from a fight. He would have been abandoned by then."

"Nope," Flint said sadly, shaking his head again. "A clean cut like that is almost always from a birth defect. He was probably born and immediately left behind because of it."

Volkner's face fell, and he felt rage bubble inside of him again. "Born...and abandoned immediately. I just..." he clenched his fists. "I just don't get people sometimes." A hand gently reached over to cover one of his, and he looked up to see Flint giving him an empathetic smile.

"Hey, I know, but humans aren't all bad. There are plenty of good trainers out there who'd do anything for their Pokémon! I once met a ten-year-old kid who leaped of a cliff to save his Pikachu," he said, feeling encouraged when Volkner smiled at that. "And I know a couple of people who'd go out of their way to feed a homeless Buneary and teach it how to defend itself," he hinted. "By the way, judging from _this,_ " Flint speculated, smirking and ruffling Volkner's spiky blond hair, "and the fact that you have a Raichu, I'm willing to bet you were the one who showed Sunshine how to use Thunder Punch. Am I right?"

Volkner laughed and lightened up a little. "That obvious, huh? Well, I bet I know who taught him Fire Punch, then."

Flint smirked. "Yeah? What gave it away?"

"Oh, I dunno...maybe _this thing,_ " Volkner teased, combing a hand through Flint's hair and ruffling it in retaliation. Flint couldn't help but laugh in return.

From the other side of the Center, Tesla peeked around the corner of the hallway. She hadn't actually gone to get water; she just thought she'd sensed something about the mood between the two. Now that she could see the happy, affectionate pair from around the corner, she giggled and smiled. Her instincts were always right.

* * *

"Am I interrupting something?"

Volkner and Flint were startled from their antics by Nurse Joy's tired, impatient voice. She was tapping her foot and staring blankly at the two.

Volkner drew back his hand and smiled sheepishly. "Ah...no! We were just...uh..." Flint shifted uncomfortably as well.

Nurse Joy put her hands on her hips, clearly unimpressed but not wanting to push the issue. "Aside from that left ear, he's going to be just fine. He was incredibly lucky; one gash was very close to the jugular vein, but—"

Flint's eyes flicked over to Volkner, who was tensing up at the graphic descriptions and looked a little sick. He cut in hastily. "Ah, great! Good. So he'll be okay, right?"

Joy crossed her arms in annoyance at the interruption but answered nonetheless. "Yes. You may also see him now if you wish." Flint brightened at this.

"Awesome. Let's go, Volk," he encouraged, putting an arm around Volkner to guide the still-queasy man in following Nurse Joy. Volkner smiled gratefully at the action. Nurse Joy just rolled her eyes again.

Sunshine's eyes brightened as both of his caretakers speed-walked impatiently into the ward. He hopped up in bed and immediately flinched at the action, though he still smiled. He wore one bandage on his left arm and another at the base of his right ear. Flint and Volkner rushed to his side and started fretting immediately.

"Be careful!"

"Sit down!"

"Don't hurt yourself again, Sunshine...oh, is it okay if we call you that? ...Good."

Soon enough, the Buneary was sitting down again, and Volkner and Flint were holding one paw each in their hands. Sunshine softly thumped his furry foot on the bed contently at the attention.

Volkner turned to Nurse Joy's aid, a glowing Mega Audino. Her Healer ability and Heal Pulse had no doubt come in handy. "Thanks, Audino. We really appreciate the help."

"Yeah," Flint agreed. "I'm not sure what would have happened without you."

The Mega Audino gave a gentle smile and beckoned the pair forward. Volkner looked over at Flint, who was just as perplexed, but they each extended a hand toward the Pokémon. She extended the lower parts of her ears to rest slightly in their palms. Her body then glowed, and she turned to them and then started letting out a humming sound.

Volkner smiled. "That's nice of you to say, Audino. We appreciate it."

Flint shot him a skeptical look. "You can understand her?"

"Of course," Volkner said matter-of-factly. "She says we're kind people and she's glad we found Sunshine, and we're going to..." The Audino twittered in a laughing, sing-song voice at the end. Volkner's face flamed.

Flint's mouth quirked in a grin. "What? What was the last part?"

Volkner withdrew his hand and hid his face. "Nothing. Nope. Didn't catch that part."

"Aww, come on! You have to tell me now!"

"No way! It was nothing!"

While they bickered, an orange blur raced into the room. Tesla dashed past the two men and leaped onto the bed, squeaking with concern at Sunshine. The Buneary quickly reassured her.

Wanting to distance himself from the embarrassing conversation, Volkner addressed his Raichu. "Tesla, where have you been? And where's the water?"

She turned around and stuck out her tongue.

"...Ah. Right. I guess I DIDN'T give you any money to pay for it. Whoops." She tilted her head and squeaked again. Volkner frowned. "Yeah, you're right. I'm not sure what I'll do about that."

"What's wrong?" Flint asked.

"The reason I didn't have any potions today was because I forgot my bag at my last class," Volkner explained. "It also happened to have my keys in it, so I'm locked out of my apartment until tomorrow."

Flint hummed. "Well, if you need to, you can crash at my place...I mean, if you're comfortable with that. I live pretty close to campus," he offered.

"Huh," Volkner breathed. "That's actually really nice of you. I know I don't know you that well, but...well, what do you guys think?" Volkner asked, turning to Tesla and Sunshine. Both Pokémon nodded their approval with wide grins. He smiled back. "If they trust you, then I trust you. Pokémon have great instincts." Tesla giggled a little too hard at that, and he gave her a confused look. "I swear, Tesla, I will never fully understand you."

As the two humans and Pokémon left the Pokémon Center, Nurse Joy, who'd purposely stayed silent, turned to her Mega Audino. "You told them, didn't you?" she deadpanned. The Pokémon hid a giggle behind a paw and nodded way too proudly. Joy sighed. "Anyone who says Fairy-types are pure and innocent doesn't know shit."


	3. Chapter 3

I hope you guys are ready for the most horrendous Pokémon-related movie title pun of all time.

* * *

"Ah, home at last!" Flint exclaimed as the door to his apartment swung open. "You can just leave your shoes by the door—no, not you, Sunshine. You don't have shoes, silly."

After a ten-minute walk (during which Volkner and Flint found they had even more in common, including school subjects and Pokémon training regimens), the quartet had arrived back at Flint's decent-sized apartment. "I bet you're hungry, right, Sunshine?" Flint asked. "Hey, Tesla, you want something too?" The Raichu nodded gratefully, appreciating that Flint had asked her directly and not Volkner. As Flint ventured farther into the apartment (presumably to retrieve some Pokémon food for her and the small Buneary cradled comfortably in his arms), Tesla meandered into the center of the room. She briefly glanced around the tidy space, sniffed the air, and nodded curtly at Volkner. He frowned, confused.

"You 'approve?' Approve of what?"

Flint poked his head around the corner. "Hey, Volk, wanna order some pizza?"

Volkner looked back up at his new companion and shook his head, embarrassed. "Sorry, I don't have my wallet, and I'm already intruding..."

"Nah, it's fine. I got it," Flint insisted as he poured two bowls of water and two bowls of food for Sunshine and Tesla. "I'll just go ahead and call Delibird's Delivery. What do you want on your pizza? I always get garlic, mushrooms, and black olives with barbeque sauce, but I know that's really weird, so we can—"

"Uh...no, actually...that's literally exactly how I like my pizza," Volkner admitted, dumbfounded. "But I always like mine—"

Flint held up a finger and smirked as he whipped out a cell phone from one of his deep pockets. "Wait, let me guess: extra crispy?"

Volkner's jaw dropped. "How'd you know?!"

Flint's eyebrows rose into his hairline. "Wait, seriously? I was kidding! That's how I have MY pizza!"

"Jeez, for real?" Volkner laughed, running a hand through his hair. "That was too easy. Garlic, mushrooms, and black olives with barbeque sauce extra crispy it is." Volkner could swear he heard Tesla gag at the concept.

"Extra large?"

"Always. The extra large has 43% more pizza for just—"

"—two dollars more," Flint nodded. "I know, I've done the math."

"...You mean you've brought out a calculator for pizza, too?"

"Who hasn't? Pizza is important."

Sunshine looked up at the two in confusion, chewing thoughtfully on his food and trying to riddle out what they were talking about. He felt someone petting his head.

Tesla was scratching him comfortingly with her tail, shaking her head sternly. It was best not to get involved when Volkner got like this.

* * *

Volkner sifted indecisively through Flint's collection of DVDs. They were all good movies, but he only knew so because he'd seen almost all of them multiple times; he owned most of them himself. It seemed the two had similar taste in films, too. Flint had suggested he choose a movie while they were waiting for the pizza, but it was proving to be rather difficult.

The man himself walked into the room with a pair of plates in preparation for the pizza and looked down at him. "No luck?"

Volkner shook his head, but then he chuckled. "Pfft. You have BrickBreak Mountain."

Instead of getting embarrassed as Volkner had expected, Flint huffed indignantly and placed the plates down on the coffee table in front of his couch so he could put his hands on his hips. "BrickBreak Mountain is a serious love story. Anyone who doesn't think so hasn't seen it. Don't diss BrickBreak Mountain in front of me."

Volkner chuckled. "I wasn't dissing it, man, don't worry. I just..."

There was a pause. "You haven't seen it then, have you?"

"Nope."

Another pause ensued.

"You've always secretly wanted to, but you've never had anyone to watch it with and would have felt silly going alone." It wasn't a question.

Volkner kept his head down and shuffled his feet. "Maybe."

"...Want to?"

"Yes. Absolutely."

"Alright, let's do this! Gay bro movie night!" Flint declared triumphantly, pumping his fist in the air.

* * *

Both men decided to leave the movie for later, choosing to eat first, at which point they realized they ate pizza the same way, too ("See, you have to fold your slice and eat it this way." "I know, man. Some people use silverware for pizza, and it's just wrong!"). Then, they spent some time with Sunshine to cheer him up after the harrowing day. They bonded with him further by petting him and telling stories on the carpet in Flint's living room. Every so often, Volkner would pause to translate something Sunshine said.

"Oh, and Sunshine says he really admires you," Volkner clarified for Flint. "He says he hopes his fur—pfft. Sorry, it's just—he hopes it will grow to be just as poofy as your hair one day," he laughed.

Flint's eyes shone with pride, and he managed to hold in his laughter for about three seconds before losing it at the ridiculous premise. "That's—that's just too amazing. I never would have guessed that. I'm really glad you're here," Flint admitted with a grateful smile.

"Nah, you're the useful one," Volkner disagreed, punching Flint's shoulder playfully. "It's gonna be great to have someone around who knows so much about—um, I mean..." he trailed off awkwardly.

Flint looked confused for a moment, but then he caught Volkner's meaning and frowned. "Yeah. What are we going to do about this, anyway? We can't very well toss him back in that alley," Flint muttered. "...but neither of us own him, either...I don't know."

Tesla, who'd been using her tail to entertain Sunshine, looked up at the two and contributed with a few squeaks. Volkner pondered this for a moment before addressing Flint.

"Since you're better at taking care of Bunearys in general, Flint, maybe he should stay here and live with you. Then, maybe I could...I dunno, maybe...visit every so often?" Volkner suggested hesitantly.

Flint looked concerned. "I mean, is that okay with you? I'll gladly take care of him, but you might not be able to see him as often..."

Volkner nodded. "I think he'll be well taken care of here. I don't normally put much faith in humans, but you really seem to care about Sunshine, and he trusts you. Do you think I could maybe visit, I don't know...once a week or something?" Volkner offered shyly, wondering if he was asking too much. He was relieved to see a smile on Flint's face in return.

"Of course! Once a week is no problem at all. You seem like a pretty cool guy to have around anyway," Flint encouraged. He then turned to the Pokémon. "Does that mean I'll get to see you too, Tesla?"

The Raichu's eyes widened at him. She turned to Volkner and squeaked in wonder, gesturing to Flint with a paw. Volkner laughed.

Flint frowned at that. "What?"

Smiling, Volkner replied, "She was just saying she likes you again. Most people don't straight-up talk to Pokémon like you do, so even if you can't always understand her, she appreciates the effort."

Flint scratched the back of his head self-consciously and smirked. "Well, who knows? Maybe I'll start to understand her better with time." He directed his attention to Sunshine. "So, little guy, what do you say? How'd you like to stay here with me? These two will come by sometimes, too." The little Buneary frowned cutely, still unsure. "We don't want you to get hurt again. If you stay with us, you'll be safe, warm, and well-fed, and you'll have a roof over your head! We can help you learn how to defend yourself even more, too. What do you think, Sunshine?" Both Volkner and Flint crossed their fingers behind their backs as the rabbit looked down at his paws indecisively (Volkner suspected Tesla would have done the same if she had the fingers to do so).

After a good twenty seconds, Sunshine looked back up at the two, clenched his paws into little fists, smiled, and nodded enthusiastically.

* * *

Once the cheers and excitement from Sunshine's decision died down, Volkner and Flint noticed the young Pokémon was nodding off; with all the fun they'd been having, they hadn't realized it had already gotten to be nine o'clock at night. With Sunshine in such a happy, sleepy state, it was surprisingly easy to coax him into a Luxury Ball (as Sunshine pressed the button to let himself inside, Volkner and Flint both kept a hand on the ball to ensure shared custody). They made their way to the living room, chatting about different Pokéball varieties as they went.

"See, I've been told Luxury Balls are the best for Pokémon, but is there really any way of knowing?"

Volkner smiled approvingly at Flint's decision. "Pokéballs are actually very comfortable for Pokémon, even the most basic forms. Different types do prefer different environments, though; the reason it's easier to catch Water-types in balls like Lure, Dive, and Net Balls isn't because they're restrictive. It's because they're more comfortable, and the Pokémon won't try so hard to get away from them."

"Oh, really?" Flint said, clearly impressed by Volkner's knowledge. "I guess it's easy to know these things when you can just ask them," he teased.

Volkner chuckled as he plopped down next to Flint on the couch in front of the television. "Yeah. Luxury Balls are more of a generalized type of comfortable. Think of...y'know, cushy chairs, seasonable climate, decent soundproofing..."

As the two humans chatted, Tesla picked up the DVD case and looked at the back. Her eye twitched, and she went to put it in the DVD player, using the tip of her tail to start up the machine. As it booted up, she put down the empty case, picked up Sunshine's Pokéball, and addressed Volkner with a squeak.

"Wha-? Oh, yeah, that's fine," Volkner responded absently. "Tesla's going to go to bed, and she's going to take Sunshine with her. Is there somewhere in particular...?"

"Oh, okay. Yeah, just down that hallway, second door on the left," Flint instructed. "My Infernape had a rough day of training, so she's already sleeping in there. Goodnight, you two!"

Tesla squeaked joyfully before waddling out speedily, cleverly switching off the light with her tail along the way for her friend and protecting the innocent little Pokémon from the impending film as best she could. She couldn't technically read the back of a DVD case, but she knew an "R" rating when she saw one.

* * *

Volkner himself became aware of the rating a few minutes later when a warning for it showed up on screen along with the words "Nudity, Sex, Violence, and Language." He resisted the urge to look over at the man slumped on the couch about a foot to his right.

 _You know, maybe it wasn't the best idea to watch an R-rated movie about two gay cowboys with a stranger. At his house. At night,_ Volkner thought nervously. _I wonder how graphic this movie gets..._

About twenty minutes of on-screen male bonding later, he got his answer in the form of a fully naked man's backside, and he raised an eyebrow. _That was unexpected,_ he noted. _Well, it's not like I mind, but..._ He didn't notice the set of eyes from his right that were gauging his reaction.

Not ten minutes later, things got more extreme when the two main characters blatantly had sex, and Volkner cringed. The other man spoke up.

"If...if this bothers you, we can pick a different movie," Flint whispered. Volkner could just barely make out his apologetic face in the dark. He chuckled and shook his head.

"Nah, that's not the problem; that just looked painful! I mean, no real preparation or lube or anything," Volkner murmured, shaking his head. He laughed. "Didn't last too long either, did he?" Flint stared for a second before joining him, covering his mouth to suppress his giggles. The characters on screen soon addressed the event themselves, saying:

"Well, I ain't no queer."

"Me neither."

Volkner snorted loudly, and Flint couldn't help but follow. After that, the weird tension in the room dissipated. Neither of the two were movie-talkers, so they stayed mostly silent—apart from a few times, like whenever Volkner wrinkled his nose at the sight of a naked woman and Flint snickered at his reaction.

Given how sad of a movie it was, though, neither had much to laugh at. Volkner considered it a victory on his part that he didn't cry.

Flint, however, was a different story. He sniffled obnoxiously more times than Volkner could count, and he heard the man shamelessly blow his nose at least three times. He rolled his eyes. _What a wimp._

Flint replaced his tissue box on the coffee table, wiping off his face one last time as the credits began to roll. "So what did you think?" he asked eagerly.

Volkner scratched his chin. "It was very well done, but it was too depressing for my taste. I mean—" He paused for a moment, trying to find the right words. "It's powerful, but I don't think I need to see it again or anything. It..."

"...Hits a little close to home, doesn't it?" Flint finished, smiling wryly. He nodded in confirmation, and neither had to explain. Volkner tried to lighten the mood.

"Also, right after they did it the first time, did they really pretty much say 'no homo?' I mean really, you just had sex with another man. That's not how 'no homo' works."

Flint snorted and shook his head. "No way, man. You gotta embrace the homo."

"OWN the homo!"

"BE the homo!"

"ALL the homo!" both finished at the same time, laughing and exchanging a high-five. Volkner spoke again once his chuckles died down.

"But man, am I glad Sinnoh doesn't have too much homophobia these days," he pointed out, looking down and clenching his fist in one of the couch cushions. "People are terrible enough in other ways without—"

"Now hold on," Flint cut in, placing a warm, comforting hand over Volkner's tightened fist just as he'd done in the Pokémon Center all those hours ago. "Why do you hate humans so much? Did something happen? Unless you don't..." Flint retracted his hand slowly. "Unless you don't want to say..."

Volkner instinctively reached out to grab Flint's retreating hand. His eyes darted down to what he'd done before migrating back to his companion's face, which was lit on one side from the light of the television screen. It suddenly occurred to him what an intimate situation this was—holding hands in the dark with another man after watching a gay romance movie—and he had to tear his mind away from the implications to keep the conversation going. He sighed.

"I really like being able to communicate with Pokémon, but...it's a little depressing sometimes." Flint cocked his head in curiosity, so Volkner continued. "Some of the ways trainers treat their Pokémon...it's horrible."

"But think about this: what do most of the Pokémon say?" Flint piped up.

Volkner considered this. "Well...most Pokémon DO like their trainers," he allowed.

Flint pressed on. "And Pokémon aren't always nice to other Pokémon, are they?" he pointed out. "How well do most Pokémon live in the wild? Their environments? Their life spans?"

"That's...hm...I guess..." Volkner trailed off, not sure how to answer that.

"Volkner, most Pokémon DO like being with us. They literally get happier with every step they take with us," Flint reminded. "Some Pokémon need nurturing from us to evolve, and there's not a wild Pokémon out there with a full-power Return attack!" Volkner smiled in agreement, and Flint ventured to take Volkner's other hand in his. "There are always going to be bad people out there, just as there will always be bad Pokémon out there. You have to look at the bright side, or you'll burn out!" He pressed his forehead to Volkner's, exchanging grins with him when he didn't pull away. "There are plenty of good people, Volk. You just have to find the right one."

 _The right ONE._ The wording didn't escape Volkner. Flint's eyes widened when Volkner pulled his hands away to cup Flint's face, stroking his soft cheeks affectionately with his thumbs. His gaze shifted from Flint's deep gray eyes, moving down his reassuring expression to his lips, which were slightly parted to allow light breaths of anticipation to escape. Realizing where things were headed, Flint slipped his arms around Volkner's waist. They leaned in the last few inches, and it felt like the most natural thing in the world to press their lips together, their eyes fluttering shut in tandem as they sighed into the chaste kiss.

It wasn't even particularly heated at first. The feeling spreading through Volkner's body was one of warmth and comfort, as though his heart was expressing its approval. Flint wasn't the first person he'd kissed, but he was different somehow. Overall, everything about the contact felt...

Right.

As their innocent kissing continued and he stroked the back of Flint's neck with his hand, Volkner couldn't help but realize that was a strange thing to be thinking, what with how he'd known Flint for less than a day, but as the man in question breathed gently against his mouth and his fingers danced their way down Volkner's back, leaving tingles in their wake, he couldn't bring himself to be too concerned about it. It wouldn't surprise him if Flint felt the same way. Oddly, the whole situation didn't feel weird. Was it weird that it WASN'T weird? Volkner didn't want to think about it too much. He pressed harder against Flint's lips at his revelation, feeling himself being pulled closer with a combination of Flint's arms and sheer magnetism.

At that moment, Volkner felt a tongue slide carefully across his lips, requesting access rather than demanding it. He smiled into the kiss and welcomed it, tangling his tongue with Flint's eagerly and feeling sparks fly from the touch.

In the past, he'd dated bad kissers who had the unfortunate habit of practically shoving their tongues down his throat, so he enjoyed the change. His shoulders relaxed, and his tongue slid against Flint's soft, warm one as he actively participated in the kiss, reveling in the simple pleasure of allowing the other man to explore his mouth with heated, talented strokes of his tongue. He took the opportunity to slide his hand into his hair, combing his fingers through it gently. He supposed Flint was enjoying the touches, because he groaned softly and slid a hand down Volkner's side, slipping it under Volkner's shirt and softly rubbing a thumb over his hipbone. He probably hadn't been aware that was a soft spot for Volkner, but he definitely figured it out when Volkner let out a soft moan into his mouth at the treatment; he could feel Flint's smile at the discovery.

It didn't take long before Flint swung a leg over Volkner's other side to straddle him, pausing to ask with a look if it was okay to go this far. Volkner nodded and reconnected their lips, and they continued more fervently than before.

Flint broke away to trail his kisses up Volkner's jawbone up to his ear, pausing there to blow into it before ravishing the side of his sensitive neck with soft kisses. Volkner shuddered at this and, in a bold move, he responded by gripping Flint's hips and pulling him down farther onto his lap so their chests and stomachs—as well as other places—met. Both men moaned, and Volkner could feel Flint was just as aroused by this as he was.

Knowing the heat was starting to get to his head, Volkner paused for a moment to think about whether he wanted to go this far yet as Flint's hands crept under his shirt to explore his chest. Thinking became more difficult as the man tweaked at his nipples with rough, dexterous fingers and kept up the insistent kisses on his collarbone, but he forced himself to focus. He'd only just met Flint, but they already had a solid connection. There wasn't really any reason they shouldn't...

Flint pulled away for a second to yank off his yellow shirt, and Volkner got an eyeful of his torso. His arms and chest were lightly muscled, and his fair skin was perfectly set off by the dim lighting and black bands on his wrists and neck, the pale glow from the television behind him casting shadows over the contours of his toned abs. His panting kept pace with Volkner's, and Flint hungrily ran his eyes down his body. That simple, heated gaze and his wiry, half-revealed body—combined with the promise of what his lower half might look like—stimulated Volkner out of his mind.

Volkner licked his lips and smirked. _Okay, this is definitely happening._ They dove back in fervidly, and Volkner willingly lost himself in his lust and Flint's practiced, passionate ministrations.

* * *

Later on, Tesla was lying down, trying to sleep while attempting to plug her ears—which is a rather difficult feat when one has short arms and no fingers. Why was she doing this? Well...

"Ngh...God, you're tight..."

"Ah...hah!"

She scrunched up her nose and scowled. Flint's bedroom door muffled some of the noises, but Tesla (unfortunately) knew from indirect experience—from living with the man for quite some time and often being around when he brought over "company"—that Volkner was not a quiet man, and it seemed Flint wasn't, either.

"H-HARDER, PLEASE—AH!"

"MMPH...YEAH, YOU...NGH...YOU LIKE THAT?"

"Y-YES—! HAH...DEEPER!"

Tesla grimaced with a bitter, uneasy smile. Volkner had been correct when he told Flint that Luxury Balls had good soundproofing, which was great for Sunshine and Flint's Infernape...but given that Tesla's Pokéball was yet another item that had been forgotten with Volkner's bag that day, it didn't help her one bit. She buried her face in the carpet at her feet in embarrassment. At least Sunshine's innocence was still being protected.

"S-SO GOOD...I'M-I'M GONNA CUM—AH! FASTER!"

"M-ME TOO...AH—! SCREAM MY NAME!"

Tesla's face burned, and she groaned with indignant irritation. Volkner owed her. Big time.

* * *

A few hours later, once both humans and the electric mouse were finally asleep, a curious pink rabbit released himself from his Pokéball. He'd awoken and felt lonely, but he didn't want to wake up his Auntie Tesla, so he hopped quietly toward where his daddy and papa slept, following his nose to find them.

The door hadn't been properly shut in its residents' fervor from a few hours ago, so it only took a few light punches from small, furry fists to push it open. The Pokémon spotted his caretakers slumbering in what looked to be a squishy, comfortable bed, and he smiled happily, leaping high into the air and pulling himself onto its surface. The two men were embracing in their sleep, facing each other and breathing slowly in their relaxation. Sunshine hopped silently but eagerly forward, carefully snuggling underneath their arms to lie down between the two. He smiled as he fell back asleep in the arms of the two men who'd cared for him so diligently. He was relieved to see that Daddy Volkner and Papa Flint seemed to like each other, too.

It occurred to him that he'd never been so happy in his life.

For their part, Volkner and Flint were so exhausted from their activities that they didn't wake, even when an intense light emitted from the room a minute later.

* * *

"Mm..." Volkner awoke early that morning to a strange sight. He'd expected to wake up to a poofy red mass of hair, but instead, it was a fluffier mass of pink.

Shiny pink.

SO MUCH PINK.

 _...Wait..._

"HOLY SHITBALLS!"

 **THUD**

"Wha—Volkner, was that you? What's—OH, FUCK!"

 **THUD**

Panicked squeaking and the rapid pattering of soft paws on carpet were heard outside the room as a frantic Raichu rushed to the scene, only to dash inside, let out a distressed noise, and rush back outside, tripping over herself as she covered her eyes, blushing from the embarrassment of seeing the two naked men on the floor and just barely registering the large pink rabbit sitting on the bed, who was glancing apprehensively between his shocked guardians on the floor.

* * *

A few minutes later, two slack-jawed, shell-shocked humans lumbered out of Flint's bedroom. They'd been courteous enough to put on pants, though they were still shirtless.

Tesla averted her eyes self-consciously from the sight, and worry shone in Sunshine's eyes as he tilted his head, perplexed. Flint was the first to break the awkward silence.

"So...uh...you really gave us a shock, there, Sunshine," he spoke uncomfortably. "Uh...congrats on evolving, though."

Sunshine still looked confused, but he nodded in appreciation anyway. Volkner shoved his hands in his pockets and added his two cents as well.

"Good for you. It looks like evolution's fixed your ear, too."

The Lopunny quirked an eyebrow, looking over his shoulder at the tip of his now downturned left ear. His expression brightened when he noticed the mended ear. The fur had grown in immaculately as well. Flint grinned.

"How about some celebratory breakfast? I'll make us Kalos toast!"

The others all agreed happily. A few more details were settled before the meal. Most were positive, though Sunshine expressed a little disappointment when Volkner and Flint tactfully let him know that he really shouldn't be sleeping in the same bed with them.

* * *

Flint's Infernape, HotHead ("Wow, Flint, how original." "Shut it, Volk, I told you I'm not good at nicknames.") awoke soon afterward, and the three Pokémon wandered around Flint's kitchen table and socialized. The two older Pokémon compared their punching moves, as HotHead had been the one to teach Sunshine Fire Punch.

In the meantime, Flint was standing in front of the stove to work on the meal. Volkner took the chance to plod up behind him until Flint's warm back was pressed against his chest. He casually slipped his hands around his waist and rested his chin on the man's shoulder. It briefly occurred to him that this was probably a little too lovey-dovey considering how short of a time the two had known each other, but Flint didn't seem to mind, not with the way he leaned back into the embrace and smiled goofily when Volkner kissed his neck affectionately.

The pair chatted about nothing in particular, merely content to prepare the meal and enjoy each other's company. They were interrupted from their domestic bubble by an inquisitive squeak. Flint absently addressed the orange mouse at their feet. "Nah, it's fine. My first class isn't for another two hours. What about you, Volk? ...Volk, why are you looking at me like that?"

Volkner had stiffened behind him. "You...did you understand her just now?"

It took a second for the question to register before a slow, dumb smile spread across Flint's face. "Huh...yeah, I did! Weird!"

Volkner raised his eyebrows. "Wow, that's kinda cool. Wonder what the deal is."

Flint snickered and waggled his eyebrows. "Maybe it's got something to do with how we—"

Volkner had the decency to blush, and he hurriedly slapped a hand over the dense man's mouth to cut him off. "Not in front of the kids, Flint."

Flint's laughter was muffled, and Volkner retracted his hand to let him speak again, slipping it back around his waist instead. "You know, it might be too long to wait until the weekend, especially since Sunshine just evolved. You could visit a little sooner if you wanted," Flint hinted quietly. His eyes darted to their Pokémon, who appeared to be playing hide-and-seek. Sunshine's location was always obvious given the sparkly pink fur, but the other two pretended not to notice. It was clear how well the three were going to get along. "I bet our Pokémon would be okay with it, too. You can come over later tonight after classes, if you want...or is that too soon...?" he offered nervously, biting his lip and locking eyes with Volkner over his shoulder.

Volkner could read between the lines of Flint's words. It was obvious he wasn't just asking whether it was too soon to see him again; he was acknowledging that they were moving pretty quickly by normal standards and wanted to make sure Volkner was okay with that. He grinned against Flint's neck and looked back at him in a way that most would probably consider to be a little too tender for their situation, but it only felt natural to him. "Yeah. Later today. I'd like that."

Flint returned his look with his own silly smile before looking back forward so he wouldn't ruin his cooking. He hummed contently and swayed a little in Volkner's arms as he worked.

Volkner spoke up again. "It's not supposed to be this easy, is it?" he muttered.

Flint wasn't oblivious to the insinuation. "...Probably not. Usually some sort of huge problem would come along soon."

Volkner chuckled quietly and closed his eyes. "I wonder when things will get complicated and go wrong," he joked. He could feel Flint's body rumble with subdued laughter in his arms.

"There's only one way to find out."

* * *

"Hey, Flint, wasn't something supposed to go wrong?"

"Volkner, nothing's going to go wrong. Don't you think it would have by now if it was going to?"

"Well...I guess it has been a while."

A warm, wrinkled hand gently fell on top of his, and Volkner caught a glimmer of sunshine reflecting off the ring on his partner's finger. "Volk, it's been fifty years. We're in our seventies. I think we're good."

A smile graced Volkner's wrinkled features. "Yeah. I guess we probably are." He leaned down to rest against Flint's shoulder as they lounged on the bench on their porch, relaxing to the sound of bug Pokémon buzzing lazily as they watched the wild Starly twitter and flutter about. Laughter shook his elderly frame when Flint kissed the top of his head. "We're good."

The end

* * *

I didn't mention the Pokémon in the last bit because I'd have to think about Pokémon life spans, and doing that makes me sad.


End file.
